In no particular order -- Nine Reasons to Write a Short Story:

1. Finish something -- Okay, so you've been writing and writing and it's starting to get depressing. Will it ever end? Write a short story -- and finish it! Put it aside and keep going on your novel, but know that not only must the story end, but when you get there you're going to be able to handle it.

2. Practice for those shorts or novellas you're going to be asked to write -- Writing short involves a similar, but distinct set of skills, and you may want to consider practicing before your editor or agent drops the question in your lap and leaves you panicking. Write short now and know you can do it when you get the invitation!

3. Stretch your writing wings -- You know what genre you want to write, or what genres you like and are good at, but you want a challenge. Give yourself 5,000 words to write a story, and enjoy!

4. Practice concise description -- Do you have a tendency to wax lyrical and stay that way? Are you worried about being able to convey description without boring your reader? Short stories necessitate concise description if you want to do justice to all the other elements of writing. Write one to practice!

5. Practice your plotting -- Are you lost in the middle of your novel, miles from your outline or any conceivable plot-map? Practice your plotting with a short story, filling beginning, middle and happily-ever-after (with a twist, if you're ambitious!) into 10,000 words. Enjoy!

6. Practice eliminating the unncessary -- Does editing feel like mass-murder? Try a short story, where you cut or it's nothing. Soon you'll be scything through verbose description and slicing away extraneous dialogue like a pro!

7. Take a break between writing projects -- If you've just finished a novel the prospect of letting your book sit before you can start editing it properly can be scary. What do you do in the meantime? Start another book and risk losing all interest in your just-finished story? Start another book and not get around to editing for months, maybe even years? Write a short story! They take less time, but they take your mind away from your previous plot. When you're done you're free to go back to your project and start editing it!

8. Gain confidence as a writer -- The business of writing is filled with uncertainty. How do you know you'll finish a book? How do you know that you'll be able to do it right? How do you know that any editor will want to buy your book? The best way to get better at writing is to practice, and writing a short story lets you practice all those elements of fiction. Once you've written an ending, you know you can do it. Once you've incorporated a plot twist, you know you can. Confidence in your skills is a selling point, and short stories can help you achieve that confidence.

9. Grow yourself a name -- So you've written a short story for one (or more) of the above reasons -- or maybe for a different reason entirely. What do you do with it now? How about pursuing publication? Put it on your website? Many authors have gained name recognition through their short stories and have taken their audiences with them when they finally broke into novel publication. Is that a way for you to work on selling yourself as an author before you get The Call?

Sure, short story writing isn't for everyone, and if you're going to try your hand at short stories you have to remember that your first few stories may not work the way you want them to. Plus, like with all kinds of writing, it helps to read a few stories to see how the format works. But if it turns out that you're one of those poeple who just can't write short (the mutant short story that becomes a multi-volume generational saga is a good sign of the problem) then just chalk it up to experience and tell yourself you tried!

Good luck!